Man charged with lewd conduct outside Natick home

Tuesday

NATICK — A 46-year-old man was arrested Monday on charges he committed a lewd act outside a South Main Street home.

Natick police were called to South Main Street at 4:02 p.m. for a report that a man with no pants on was standing in a yard committing a lewd act.

A pair of women who live nearby said they first saw the man standing beside some cinder blocks, then next to a tree. The women said the man had no clothing covering his genitals or buttocks, and could be seen engaging in the lewd act.

According to a police report, the cinder blocks and tree on the property can be seen from the sidewalk and street.

Police detained Steven J. Arango a short time later as he walked through the intersection of South Main and Cross streets.

"When we asked Steven what he had been doing earlier he stated that he had been outside in the yard smoking weed, drinking, and 'that's about it,'" a police report reads. "When we advised Steven of the allegation made by two witnesses that he had exposed himself, he denied the allegation."

When he was later arrested and booked at the police station, Arango contested the charges, saying that he "was on private property at the time," according to the police report.

Arango was charged with one count each of open and gross lewdness and disorderly conduct. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf at his arraignment Tuesday in Framingham District Court.

Arango will remain free on $200 bail while his case is pending. Judge Jennifer Stark ordered Arango to stay away from the area on South Main Street where he was arrested Monday, and to have no contact with victims who spoke with police.

While he keeps a post office box in Natick, Arango told Stark Tuesday that he is disabled, and resides in Maine. Arango will be required to pay at least $50 of the $150 fee for his court-appointed attorney by Oct. 19, the date of his next hearing.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin